Based on the RTI findings, Kirit Somaiya has alleged that the corrections in the birth certificates were carried out illegally and has demanded that the BMC register an police complaint to investigate the matter and identify those responsible

Mumbai: The M-East ward office in Govandi accounted for 3,132 birth certificate corrections that were made without supporting documents or applications, according to an RTI reply from the BMC received by former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya.The RTI response has also revealed that across the city, 19,753 birth certificates were issued without any supporting documents, while a total 86,020 birth record corrections were carried out in BMC’s SAP system between 2024 and 2026.In its RTI reply, BMC’s public health department stated that based on a revised list received from the information technology department, 86,020 birth record corrections were made in the SAP system. After verification, officials found that 6,109 correction records were duplicate entries, indicating the same birth records had been corrected more than once.The RTI response further stated that 19,753 birth certificates were issued without any supporting documents or applications being available with the civic administration. Of these, 14,194 were issued from the M-East ward office, while the remaining certificates were issued from L, E, and M-West wards.Based on the RTI findings, Somaiya has alleged that the corrections were carried out illegally and has demanded that the BMC retrieve all 86,020 corrected birth certificates and register an police complaint to investigate the matter and identify those responsible.The BMC’s RTI reply, however, does not describe the corrections as illegal. It only states the number of corrected records, notes the duplicate entries, and mentions that supporting documents were unavailable in thousands of cases.

A booth level officer (BLOs) visits a slum with forms for voters as part of the special intensive revision in Karad, Maharashtra, on Wednesday.

Mumbai: With the special intensive revision (SIR) being conducted in Maharashtra till July 30, the state’s chief electoral officer S Chockalingam has said that people should not worry if they do not have the documents required or have been unable to map their own or their parents’ details to the 2002 voter list. What is critical is to fill out personal details on the enumeration form and sign it.This will ensure that they are on the draft electoral roll. “The foremost purpose of the SIR is to verify whether you are continuing to reside in the location listed in the voter list. You should fill at least your personal details like mobile number, Aadhar number (optional), your father and mother’s names and then sign the form,” Chockalingam told ToI.“This will ensure that your name is on the draft roll. After publication of the draft roll, you will be served a notice to submit the documents permitted by the ECI,” he said. The draft roll is to be published on May 8.Chockalingam also clarified that only those who are on the voter list of June 18, 2026, will be part of the SIR. “The SIR is the revision of electoral rolls as on a particular date. That list is frozen on June 18. Only those whose name is on the voter list on that date will be part of the SIR drive,” he said.Owing to the heavy rain earlier this month, the distribution of enumeration forms has been slow, especially in the MMR. Only 35.4% of forms have been distributed to voters in Mumbai suburban and 42% in Mumbai city. In Thane, the figure is 40.5% while in Palghar it is 41%. Across the state, 71.8% of forms have been distributed.“The distribution of forms has been affected because of the heavy rains in the state. But only two weeks of the SIR drive is over and I would advise patience. We have informed the ECI about the heavy rains in the area which affected SIR work,” said Chockalingam.When asked about the problems faced by those who have shifted residence but have their voter ID at the old address, he said, “The legal condition is that the elector should be residing at that location at the point of time of the SIR. The enumeration form will go to the address which is in the current electoral roll. You have two options. You can fill the enumeration form along with Form 8 to show that you have shifted. Or you fill a fresh Form 6 which is a voter registration form with the new address for enrolment in the electoral roll after the publication of the draft roll.”

New Delhi/Pune/Mumbai: Even as NCP (SP) politician Jayant Patil’s late Tuesday night meeting with CM Devendra Fadnavis intensified speculation about whether the Sharad Pawar-led outfit was getting closer to BJP, the party’s MP Supriya Sule said on Wednesday that if the BJP-led NDA govt’s delimitation legislation proposes a uniform 50% jump in Lok Sabha seats in each state, there would be little reason to oppose the bill.Sule’s statement indicated her party’s support to the delimitation legislation, albeit with a caveat, which should be no problem for the govt as it has already committed to an across-the-board 50% increase and Union home minister Amit Shah had declared govt’s stand on the floor of Lok Sabha as he unsuccessfully tried to win over non-Congress parties and get them to support the bill.Sule, however, made it clear that a final decision on the bill will be taken after discussion in the INDI bloc, at whose meeting later this week, she said, she would represent NCP (SP). Sule ruled out her party’s shift towards NDA, saying no such discussions were underway. She said the party had neither held any talks with NDA, nor was it approached on the issue. She said Patil met the CM only to discuss development issues and added there was “nothing political” about the meeting.Patil said on Wednesday that he had met the CM only to discuss disqualification of the Urun-Ishwarpur municipal council president from NCP (SP). He also denied having any meeting with NCP working president Praful Patel and its state president Sunil Tatkare, though the latter also met Fadnavis at his official residence Varsha the same night.This was Patil’s second closed-door meeting with a BJP neta in a week. Last week, he met BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde in Mumbai.Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said repeated meetings between leaders of the governing alliance and NCP (SP) were naturally giving rise to doubts among workers of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). He said allies should remain transparent with each other to avoid confusion and added the opposition alliance expected clarity from its partners.Amid the political churn, Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde became the first major constituent of the BJP-led NDA to suggest that the NDA govt is likely to bring the delimitation bill in the session starting Jul 20, asserting it will be passed this time.He ascribed Sule’s comments to the rethink among opposition parties after paying a “political price” in West Bengal, where the TMC lost badly and has since splintered.Speculation about Pawar’s party started soon after six MPs of Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) switched over to the Shinde-led Sena.Several opposition speakers, including from the DMK, had in the last Parliament session seized on the fact that the Constitution amendment bill carried no explicit proposal about a uniform 50% jump in LS seats in each state to vote against it, ignoring Shah’s oral assurance. The bill in its new version in the coming session may include this part as govt looks to win over more parties to touch the required two-thirds support for its passage.As many as 26 LS MPs from the opposition camp — 20 from TMC and six from Sena (UBT) — have switched over to NDA since the last session, taking its tally to 324, still much short of 360 needed in the full House of 540 but opening a path for NDA as it looks to revive the bill.Congress MP P Chidambaram hinted at hectic behind-the-doors manoeuvring by BJP, saying it is reportedly wooing DMK and NCP (SP). The DMK, which is no longer part of INDI bloc, has 22 MPs and NCP (SP) has eight in Lok Sabha, while govt is numerically better placed in Rajya Sabha.

Somit Sen & Clara LewisMumbai: In a major relief for Maharashtra’s farmers, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday announced that the state govt will soon waive electricity dues worth Rs 48,000 crore owed by agricultural consumers using up to 7.5 horsepower (HP) pumps, extending support beyond the existing free power scheme and clearing decades-old arrears accumulated by farmers.Fadnavis made the announcement at a BJP-organised felicitation function at the Y B Chavan Centre, where he was being honoured for the state govt’s decision to waive farm loans of up to Rs 2 lakh.The latest decision significantly expands the state’s support to the agriculture sector. In the June 2024 budget, the govt had announced that it would bear the burden of electricity bills for farmers using agricultural pump connections up to 7.5 HP and provide them free power under the Mukhyamantri Baliraja Mofat Veej Yojana. A budgetary provision of Rs 14,761 crore was earmarked in 2024 for the subsidy, with the govt committing to pay current electricity bills on behalf of eligible farmers.However, Wednesday’s announcement goes a step further by wiping out past arrears as well.According to senior officials of the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL), the move effectively clears all outstanding dues accumulated by farmers using agri pumps up to 7.5 HP since the time they obtained their electricity connections.“The arrears on our books have been wiped off. The government has agreed to bear the entire burden and the funds will flow into MSEDCL’s accounts,” a senior official said.MSEDCL managing director Lokesh Chandra described the decision as a “win-win” for both farmers and the utility. While farmers will be freed from a longstanding debt burden, MSEDCL will be able to recover dues that had remained largely unrealisable for years.The waiver also comes against the backdrop of the state’s push to make agricultural power supply self-sustaining through solarisation. Under the Mukhyamantri Saur Krushi Vahini Yojana (MSKVY) 2.0, work is underway on decentralised solar power projects with a capacity of over 15,284 MW, making it one of the largest such initiatives globally. Chandra said the programme is helping shift farm power consumption to daytime hours, with nearly 76% of agricultural consumers now receiving daytime electricity supply.Launched in April 2023, the scheme involves private investment of around Rs 65,000 crore, development of nearly 40,000 acres for solar projects, and is expected to generate about 70,000 jobs in rural areas.An energy department official said the govt has prepared a long-term and sustainable roadmap for agriculture power supply through solar feeders, ensuring reliable and affordable electricity for nearly 44 lakh agricultural consumers covered under the free power scheme.